Jakarta – The sudden death of a South Tangerang national flag-hoisting team (Paskibraka) member on Thursday with bruises found on her body has raised allegations that she had been abused by her seniors.
The victim, identified as Aurellia Qurrota Ain, was a 12th grader at Al Azhar senior high school in South Tangerang, Banten, and was set to be hoisting the national flag during the city's Independence Day ceremony on Aug. 17.
Aurellia's father, Farid Abdurrahman, 42, recalled her daughter as saying that she had been receiving excessive training in the team.
He claimed her daughter had been told by her seniors to eat oranges with its peel and do push-ups with clenched fists.
"The seniors then gave her an additional task that was draining her psychologically, such as requiring her to write a diary everyday when she had been worn out from her morning to evening activities," he said at his house in Tangerang city on Friday, as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.
Farid also claimed that Aurellia had been reluctant to tell her parents of the excessive training at first, fearing that they would file a complaint against her seniors.
"She once told us that after receiving complaints from parents, the seniors had given them even heavier punishment. That made the kids afraid to tell the truth [to their parents]," he added.
Aurellia's uncle, Romi, also claimed there had been bruises on her niece's body, adding that she had once told her family about being beaten by her seniors in the team.
The family has called on the South Tangerang administration to probe into the case, or they would have to take legal action otherwise.
Police are reportedly looking into her cause of death. (ars)